Witherstone- Wings of My Legion

by Elizabeth Holland

  “You can leave now,” I decided. I was past the pawning and the desire. And I hoped it meant that the bewilderment was over.

  I showered and packed my things. Most of my clothes fit fine, but she did appear so quickly. Maybe it was the bewilderment, maybe all the times I went through portals and experienced differing timespans. I wasn’t sure if that meant she’d grow rapidly now that I could feel her. My aunt did say that her magic would dictate her incubation. If it was the most recent time Elliot and I had been together, which I was sure it had to be, then I was already pregnant for months. The bewilderment had only just started, so this made the most sense to me. But was there a standard growth period? I lifted my brow and looked over myself in the mirror. I was in jeans and a white t-shirt, and I had a cardigan duster on so I could pull it around if anyone started to look. The navy-blue knitting looked a little gray in the shadows of the apartment. Under the sun, it was the same color as the pendant hanging from my neck. It was a few minutes past ten when I heard a horn. I glanced over the apartment once more before stepping out.

  “Hey!” Bryn had a wide-mouth smile as I opened the door.

  “You look happy,” I threw my bag into the backseat and hopped in.

  “Charlotte told me about the Yester Yew,” she backed out. “This means Tristan will be our next king. So, yes, I am very happy.”

  The wind came through the cracked window at easy pushes. It was nice to let my hair flow around as the sun heated my face. I wondered about Skye Sorn then. Would it be nice like this? Would it rain? Storm?

  “Lorcan as a king? Not a good idea,” she continued her thought.

  “He’s not terrible,” I said. I could feel Bryn staring me down even though she tried to keep her eyes on the road.

  “Not terrible?”

  “No,” I shook my head. “He’s different now. He’s been trying hard to help us all out, to do the right thing. I think he always has,” I lowered my head in thought.

  “Irene, I understand that he’s been good to you—lately. But don’t forget what he’s capable of.”

  “I know. But we’re all capable of terrible things.”

  “Yeah,” her brow flicked.

  “Do you really think he’d risk losing Samira just to be a self-centered king who can manipulate Iliana and me all over again?”

  She hesitated to answer. “I mean…”

  “No, he wouldn’t,” I shrugged.

  Bryn turned off the bridge and gave me a steady look-over.

  “What?” I joked.

  “You seem… different. I don’t know,” she shook her head.

  “I haven’t been sleeping well,” I told. It wasn’t a lie, but I couldn’t let her start to speculate. Even sitting in silence was a bad idea. The baby’s heartbeat was there all the time, and it was getting stronger. “I like this song,” I reached over to the radio and turned up the volume. Bryn sort of kept staring at me while she drove closer to her house.

  “Do you remember Ryan and Lyra?” she asked, cutting the pop music to a softer volume. I gave a nod. “They’re bringing a friend of theirs. She’s… a little odd.”

  “Okay. How?”

  “She’s a light and dark faerie,” Bryn told me.

  “What?” I turned to face her fully as I gasped. Another multi-elemental creature? “I thought having more than one element was rare. Unheard of.”

  “Not really,” Bryn had a doubtful sneer on her face.

  “But Elliot told me—”

  Bryn laughed. “Elliot? Mr. Multi-elemental himself? Did he say it was rare? Because you both have more than one element.”

  “Yeah, I know.” The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed. “I guess he was afraid to admit he had a second nature, because… you know, of it being darkness.”

  “Yeah, but look at how many others have more than one element,” she turned on the road that led to her house as she kept smiling in a really sort of way. “Not exactly common, I’ll say that. But it’s not rare, really.”

  “Elliot told me he had to travel far to meet the only two multi-elemental people he had ever known.” I remembered Elliot’s words and the night he spoke them. Just thinking about the way he touched me, the warmth of his breath on my skin… I was flush in a matter of seconds. I cracked the window a little more and leaned into the breeze with closed eyes.

  “I bet he was just trying to hide his darkness from you,” Bryn said. She turned into her driveway and parked. “But, Irene, this girl… don’t let her get into your head. She’s not… she doesn’t feel things like you and me.”

  “Is it because of the clashing elements?” I wondered.

  “It’s because of the darkness.”

  I followed Bryn inside and set my things on her couch. I had been in her house twice before, and both times were intense—solely because of Tristan. I thought about him as Bryn went and got us drinks from her fridge. The first time I came into the house, Tristan had left Caleb on the edge of death. I wondered what that fight would have been like. Was it purely elemental? Did Tristan use his hands, his fists, to inflict pain? And Caleb, while he doesn’t hesitate to lash out and defend, was he held back by strength alone? Or was he overpowered by light energy? These people, these friends of mine, had grown up knowing magic like how I knew my mother’s coffee cake by scent. It was comfortable, homey, accepted. It was always there. But for me? I still had so many questions. My daughter would be powerful, I had no doubt. She had darkness in her, but if she learned early, maybe she could control it. Wishful thinking, most likely, but it was all I had then.

  By the time Bryn met me in at the patio door with a bottle of Snapple, I was feeling sick to my stomach. I tried to take a drink, but the flavor—a favorite of mine for the past year—was tasting too bitter to enjoy.

  “Do you hear that?” Bryn asked me in the dead silence.

  “No,” I spoke fast and rushed to her bathroom.

  “Irene?”

  “I just don’t feel well,” I shook my head and closed the bathroom door. Standing there close enough for me to hear her breathe, Bryn tapped lightly on the wood.

  “If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to.”

  “It isn’t that,” I ran the water and splashed my face.

  “Are you sick?”

  Do magical creatures even get sick?

  “Are you… worried?”

  “About what?” I spat at her. I didn’t mean to be rude; I just didn’t want to talk.

  “Seeing Elliot.”

  “Why would I be?” I splashed my face one more time. Drying my skin, I heard Bryn say something quietly, like she didn’t want me to hear the words. “What?” I opened the door.

  “I said,” she started off, but then hid her eyes from me. “Are you mad he's been here and not called?”

  I rolled my eyes. “I mean, yeah. But he's been busy with the other legions, I guess.”

  “Your legion is the only legion in town,” Bryn said to me with a bit of attitude.

  “What?” I could feel my neck stiffen. “He was here?” I shouted. “In town?” A gust of wind ruffled the budding branches outside the window and made Bryn jump. I had never seen her jump.

  “Irene, please…” she stopped herself as she was about to grab my arm to settle me down. She had a curious glare in her eyes as she leaned close and listened to the silence that was now between us.

  And to the drumming.

  “Elliot was here? Minutes away from me? And when?” I rambled, but Bryn hushed me. “I mean—”

  “Stop,” she said in a controlled but somewhat bothered tone. “What is that?” her eyes traveled over me and around the room. And then she leaned back and studied the space around my body until her eyes narrowed, sharpening over mine and eventually my belly. “It can’t be.”

  I nodded.

  “With Elliot?”

  I nodded again.

  “And it’s carrying darkness?”

  One more nod.

  “Irene,” she breathed i
n sharply. “Does he know?”

  “I think so.”

  “And he was here?” she shouted in disbelief.

  “Right.”

  “Well, just wait until we see him. I swear.”

  Bryn was busy shaking her head and sighing in disgust when the doorbell rang. It took her a couple seconds to realize her friends had arrived. At the door, she welcomed them inside, but the girl—the light and dark faerie—stood and examined the entrance.

  “Freya, it’s fine,” Lyra urged. “It’s safe.”

  Why would the faerie worry about safety? Wouldn’t she be strong enough to protect herself?

  “Thanks for coming,” Bryn walked alongside Ryan through the house. I was behind them, with Lyra and Freya behind me. I kept turning to glance at Freya, at her curious eyes and silent demeanor.

  “Of course,” Ryan smiled. “I do hope it goes well.” Goes well? I wondered if he meant the marking of the new king.

  “I’m sure it will,” Bryn tucked her hair behind her ear as she lowered her head. I could see that she was worried about the event. The possibility of Lorcan becoming king was basically zero, but Bryn was still uneasy. I was curious, too, if she wasn’t just nervous about going to Skye Sorn in general. It must have been a while since her last visit. It wasn’t like she could just go there whenever she pleased. Making a portal was an ordeal. It took time and concentration. Bryn might have come from Skye Sorn before moving to Hallow Hills, but that still meant she hadn’t been to the land of the faeries in over a year. And with a mortal father, it might have been longer.

  “Is there a reason why you make the portal here?” I asked her as the faeries got their candles out of their bag. Outside, Bryn had directed her friends to create the portal in the same place as before.

  Bryn shrugged. “It can be created anywhere, but I feel safe here. No one will bother us,” she looked out over the trees. Her nearest neighbor was at least an acre away, with bunches of wildlife and foliage in between. This time of year, some of the trees were bare, but the old brush from last fall, as well as some wild pines, kept us shielded from onlookers.

  “Did you grow up in Skye Sorn?” I asked her as we watched the faeries set up the last of their things.

  “Not really,” she shrugged. “I spent some time there as a child. But school kept me busy here.” I nodded along. “My dad wanted me to have a normal life, as normal as possible, anyway.”

  “Is your dad…” I trailed off. I hadn’t heard much about the man. Only that he was a mortal and never seemed to be around.

  “My dad died many years ago,” she confided as she lowered her head. Bryn had outlived her father—her mortal father. And yes, kids are meant to outlive their parents, but this was different. I already knew Bryn wasn’t my age, whether she looked it or not. But how much older, that I didn’t know.

  “We’re ready,” Ryan stood up and brushed off his jeans.

  “Let me get my things,” Bryn said to me. I had brought my bag outside with me. I packed my dress, some mascara and lip gloss, a hairbrush, a toothbrush, and my favorite lotion. I had clothes for the funeral and the clothes I was wearing. I thought if there was anything else I needed, I could probably just ask.

  “Ready?” Bryn asked me as she came back outside. I gave a nod.

  The three faeries sat behind their respected candles, lit the flames, then began to produce orbs. I watched as their essence filled the gaps between the trees and the ground, forming a plasma, mirror-like substance right out of the air. The branches curled over the top, the brush grew up and twirled around the base, and the portal came whole.

  Bryn took my hand and faced me with a smile as a few, slowly vibrating, richly brown orbs came into view. She closed her eyes then, breathing deep to pull a little of my essence out into the air. The steel-blue mist fell over her skin, and then she opened her eyes for a brief moment. This time, I didn’t need the level of protection like Tristan had given me before. Just a small bond would be enough to allow me to enter the portal unharmed. Bryn now closed her eyes again, releasing her essence into the space between us. As she let all the air out of her chest, the essence fell over my skin and into my body. It wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t painful either. Just odd. Side by side, we walked up to the portal. Bryn looked back at her friends and told them one final thanks. Then we went in.

  THE TALE OF THE YESTER YEW

  I took a deep breath the moment I felt the water leave my face. Just like the first time, I stepped out of the pool with little moisture left on my skin. Bryn was fluffing her hair over near the entrance. I went toward her as a group of beings emerged from the water.

  “I want to be careful with you,” she whispered to me. “Lorcan might not be trying to capture you anymore, but he wasn’t the first faerie to have the idea, you know,” she raised her brow.

  “Would a faerie woman do the same to Elliot?” I wondered aloud.

  Bryn’s eyes widened. “Oh, yes. He’s not only powerful, but he’s also gorgeous.” I giggled like a child. “Full-blooded, blue-eyed…” Bryn nearly blushed when her eyes met mine. “Let’s get right to the castle.”

  “The… castle? Or the place in the city?” I wondered as I followed her out of the cave. Before she could answer, two faerie knights, dressed in glowing golden armor, approached us.

  Bryn scanned them over with narrow eyes as she stepped just slightly in front of me.

  “The High Prince sent us to escort you,” one knight said to me. I shrugged at Bryn, who then gave a nod. I thought, if she trusted them, then I could too. The other knight opened the door to the carriage and helped me inside. The first knight was assisting Bryn then. So medieval. And after the doors closed, the two knights got on the little bench on the front and commanded their horses to go.

  This was wildly different from the first time I had visited Skye Sorn. Not only were we being treated like royalty—which we were, technically anyway—but we weren’t being hunted or chased. Lorcan was trying to protect us. He was undoubtedly protecting me, I was sure. We had our deal, of course. Failing to uphold my end of the bargain would put me right back in his hands. Yes, I stuck up for him whenever I could because I knew he was often misunderstood. But that didn’t mean he was incapable of all the things people had warned me of. Like how he would most certainly make me the vessel for his bride the second the ritual fails—if it were to.

  “Look, Irene!” Bryn was curled up against the window of the carriage with a big smile over her face. I slid closer to her as the gleam of the sun hit my skin and warmed me over. And then I saw it, the castle in the sky, the Caisleán an Spéir.

  I think I choked.

  Sitting along the edge of a massive cliff, with nothing but the sky to keep it company, was the castle. The enormous white and steel-gray castle had pointed tips and grand, decorated walls, and it was somehow kept up through all the years of its existence, beckoning attention like no other building I had ever seen. The peaks of the front gates were adorned in figurines of strange creatures I would never have imagined. They had wings and fangs and claws but were all welcoming and friendly in appearance. The sun was setting in the northern sky as it gave an iridescent glow to the shiny fixtures of the open gates. Where Lorcan’s castle had been golden, Tristan’s was silvery. Like the way the moon shines on a cold lake.

  The carriage came to a rest outside of the gates, and I sat back and breathed. A lot was about to happen, and all I could think about now was the near-silent drumming in the deepest parts of my mind. I could feel the excitement turn to worry as my hands began to tremble.

  “Just give me a look and I’ll know you need a break,” Bryn leaned close to me and told. “I’ll get you away from everyone, I’ll make sure they don’t know.” Her eyes then traveled to my belly.

  I took a deep breath and then smiled. “It’s okay, really. I’m nervous, but I won’t hide her if they ask.”

  Bryn smiled back at me.

  “Still, you just say the word and I’ll help,” she insisted.r />
  One of the knights exchanged a few words with the man at the gates, and then it was silent again. I looked around the courtyard and found numerous other carriages parked along the right just inside the outer wall. And then behind us, I caught sight of at least ten other carriages awaiting entrance.

  “Are they all faeries?” I whispered to Bryn.

  “The dragons won’t enter the main gates,” she told with a straight face. I must’ve been asking for an explanation with my eyes because she didn’t wait to explain. “Dragons don’t visit often,” she shook her head as the horses began trotting once again. “And when they do, they usually tempt us.” Her nose scrunched. “I mean, you smell… I don’t even know,” she sort of smiled and gasped at the same time. After clearing her throat, she continued, “My uncle forbade dragons from walking among the faeries without an escort. As a precaution.” Again, her nose scrunched.

  “Okay,” I accepted, and she looked a bit relieved. “What’s the big deal?” I laughed.

  With a heavy breath, she said, “You guys usually see us as a threat. Here, you’re the problem,” she grinned.

  “Well, I don’t see you as a threat,” I nudged her. “But I know how desirable dragons can be,” I lifted my brow. I wasn’t trying to think of Elliot, but it happened anyway. And for all I knew, he could be waiting for me to arrive. To step out and face him and then I’d probably climb him and…

  Breathe.